The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 294: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

| | We et 2 _specia mentioned the : name F the Stanleys,” respondes Madame Angelique. © Ah, T recollect !— ee aN Beething hinted about anothen person bei ne bel _ the scenes: but I can’t faney wh 01 t could be.” ae rf curred to me th “the same individual who the confession from Lettice of all that own at Oaklands in the wintet—whose he thought familiar, if you recollect, but whos@ face she could not catch a glimpse of—may mE ae, secret friend throughout this last iw h ext busine iF afer t kno ww why,” aid Rratetmont, “but it c ow, “that it is all over,” cried pr “it is scarcely worth while to bewilder onesélf. with njecture. Fortunately my name did ee at the trial “ No—it was. fortunate,” observed the Duke. ef ha bye, have you ever heard anything about Eveleen O’Brien P” “Ah! there’s another ungrateful wretch,” ex- nae Madame Angelique, again getting excited over her wrongs. “She too has turned penitent! and I’m sure that if penitence becomes an epidemic, like the cholera or anything of that sort, ame i shall have to shut up shop. No—not while I have such patrons as your Grace!” cried the in- An Ss woman, thinking it necessary to pay the Dake this compliment, archmont rose to take his departure,—pre- vious to doing which, however, he placed a roll of bank-notes in Madame Angelique’s hand, as an earnest of Jeis liberality in respect to her precious machinatiouls with regard to the Princess Indora. Early on the following morning the Duke sent off a message to Oaklands with a letter containing suitable instructions to Purvis, the steward, with revard to the reception that was to be given to the oriental lady; and so little care had he for the feelings of the Duchess, that he did not even think it worth while to add a hint to the effect that the circumstance of this visit to be paid to Oaklands by the lady in question was to be for ever with- held from her Grace’s knowledge. At the same time that the messenger set off for Oaklands, the infamous Madame Angelique forwarded a letter to the post, addressed to the Lady Indora, acquainting her that their-Graces the Duke and Duchess of Marchmont had the pleasure ot placing their country-seat in Hampshire at her ladyship’s dis- posal for so long a time as it might be agreeable to her to sojourn on that domain. Madame Angelique a careful to assure Indora in this letter that the Duke and Duchess were occupying their town-mansion, and had no thought of going into the country for the present,—that therefore the Lady Indora would be perfect mistress of Oaklands—and she (Madame Angelique) wished her ladyship all possible health to enjoy her rambles about the beautiful eand of the domain. We ought perhaps to observe that Sagoonah had ‘remained altogether in ignorance of that warning letter which Mr. Redcliffe had sent to the Princess: for Indora had not chosen to terrify her ayah by making her aware that she was the ob- ject of any evil design. She had therefore con- tented herself at the time with issuing precau- tionary instructions of a general character,—the faithful Mark, the major-domo, being the only LL EE ST THE MYSTERIES OF THE COURT. ‘set off the grandeur of the bu , one of the. eee to whom she confided the nature of that letter. Thus it happened that the name of Mr. Redcliffe. was never mentioned by, SAEOR ET to Madame Pepelique. * gelique’s note; and without communicating its contents to a soul, commenced her preparations for departure. She informed Christina that par- ticular business would take her away for a few days,—during which interval she hoped the young maiden would not feel dull nor lonely; and she gave her permission to invite her brother Chris- tian to pass those few days with her at the villa if she thought fit. Her Highness ordered a post- chaise to be in attendance for the ensuing day ; and as she perceived that the faithful Mark—the comptroller of her little household—wore a some- what anxious countenance as these preparations were going on, she summoned him into her pre- sence,—availing herself of an opportunity when she was alone. “T am well aware, Mark,” she said, “ that you entertain a deep interest in my behalf; and you are probably afraid that I am about to fall into some snare which is being set for me. But you neéd have no such apprehension. The business which takes me hence for a few days, is connected with a matter vitally concerning my own interests. I see my way clearly: but I have thought it ne- cessary to tell you this much, in order to relieve your mind from any misgiving.” “IT am truly rejoiced to hear your ladyship speak thus confidently,” answered the steward ; “and my mind is indeed more at ease.’ He then bowed and withdrew,—the Princess not volunteering another syllable of explanation; and Mark had no undue curiosity: it was suffi- cient for him that Indora seemed to know per- fectly well what she was about. On the following morning the Princess appa- relled herself, with Christina’s assistance, in one of the European costumes which Madame An- gelique had sent home. This was the first time that the King of Inderabad’s daughter found her- self thus dressed; and it would have been difficult for even the most scrupulous critic in respect to temale loveliness, to decide whether she looked handsomer in the picturesque garb which she was wont to wear, or in this apparel made after the most recent Parisian fashion. The superb figure of Indora, with all its richness of contour and the admirable modelling of.its limbs, gave its own shape as it were to whatsoever costume she chose to adopt; and hers was a beauty so far tran- scending all the advantages which feminine charms are wont to derive from the.toilet, that it indeed mattered but little what fashion, or style she fol- lowed. The corsage of an tne . dress could not ~ smore completely .. than the oriental caftan<-nor t . Parisian bonnet? ” impart additional. splendour to the dark glory of her hair, In her new costume—unattended and alone— the Princess Indora entered the post-chaise ; and on leaving the villa, all the instructions she. gave to the postilions were that she was going into Hampshire. Thus no one at that villa, except Sagoonab herself, was aware of the Princess’s destination; and the Princess suspected not that her ayah knew it. ET er mr ee RR FS Eee (C(O) nn) (G 0)(0)(0) Sa COUN